Privet Drive
by be'etlh
Summary: After the Department of Mysteries, Ron and Hermione are reluctant to leave Harry at the mercy of the Dursleys. Ron decides to take matters into his own hands. AU after OOTP. Eventual H/R/Hr.
1. Chapter 1

Ron Weasley was worried.

His best friend had been sent home to his muggle relatives just days after the death of his godfather. Ron knew he was hardly the most introspective or insightful (he mostly agreed with Hermione's assessment that he had the emotional range of a teaspoon) but he knew that Harry shouldn't be left alone with people who hated him at a time like this. Judging from the letters he'd received from his other best friend Hermione, she agreed with him, and, in this (as in almost everything else, he thought ruefully) she was unquestionably right.

Ron knew Dumbledore wouldn't be any help in getting Harry to a better environment. Not only had he put Harry there to start with, but ever since Harry had come down from Dumbledore's office after the Department of Mysteries, he had been oddly quiet, and neither Ron nor Hermione had any idea what he had learned that disturbed him so.

Right. Dumbledore was out. In that case, his parents weren't an option either, given that they had never defied Dumbledore to his knowledge. Hermione certainly didn't have any leverage. That meant it was up to him.

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The letter he received back from Hermione after he owled her with his plan contained not only the information he'd requested, but a plethora of unsolicited but useful advice.

_Dear Ron,_

_ I agree, we simply can't leave Harry alone with those awful relatives of his, and since we can't get him out of there you'll simply have to go keep him company. I wish I could join you, but we both know there's a whole list of reasons that's not possible. _

_ I like your plan (I know it's dishonest, but we simply can't abandon Harry, no matter what). I've enclosed another parchment to show your parents. I think it strikes the right balance between the educational opportunities about muggles (for your father) and the wards put up by the Order (for your mother). Once you've convinced them, you can go with your father to the Ministry and take muggle transit from there. I'll owl you tickets once you know what day. I know your parents likely won't be able to tell that my house is not the destination, but you should try to keep them hidden anyway._

_ It would be best if you could somehow bring one of those wizarding tents to set up in Harry's room, but if you can't you should at least bring bedding. Also remember to bring lots of food; I know Harry's relatives don't feed him enough for one person, let alone two (and the way you eat, you count for two all on your own!). _

_Owl Harry from the train station, he can send the invisibility cloak with Hedwig so you can get in the house. I put the instructions for the trains in the letter to show your parents. Good luck, I wish I were coming with you!_

_ Love,_

_ Hermione_

Luckily, his father had never returned the tents they had borrowed for the Quidditch World Cup. Even more luckily, they had been relegated to a dark corner of his shed, hidden behind mounds of malfunctioning muggle paraphernalia. Nicking one would not be a problem. Convincing his parents that he was spending the next month at the Grangers' house, on the other hand…

"Absolutely not! It isn't safe!" Mrs. Weasley ranted at her youngest son while frying some bacon.

"Mum, the Order's put up loads of wards. It's as safe as the Burrow. Besides, with Ginny working for the twins, I'm mostly the only one home during the day. This way, you can go do things without worrying about me being home alone." Ron tried to remain calm, even though the whole plan was riding on his mother's approval. His father had already become so enthralled by the opportunities to learn about muggle gadgets that his disapproval wasn't an obstacle.

"Well…" He could see his mother weakening. "I suppose it would be nice for you to be with a friend. It's not good for you to spend so much time here alone."

"Thank you mum, thank you!" Ron threw himself at his mother and hugged her, then raced upstairs to pack.


	2. Chapter 2

Ron nervously waited behind some trees near the train station in Greater Whinging. It would be a bit of a hike to Privet Drive, but Hermione had been worried that the Little Whinging station might be under surveillance. He had sent Pig off with his note nearly half an hour ago, and the waiting was getting to him. He was almost glad that his stomach was in knots, because otherwise he knew he'd be famished and he didn't fancy trying to get through the odd clear, crinkly coverings that all the food in the newsstand was wrapped in. He thought it was called plastic, but he had never really seen any before.

Hedwig swooped by as he was pondering the dubious nature of muggle food packaging and dropped a package on his head, disrupting his train of thought. After glancing around, he tore it open and threw the invisibility cloak over himself, before unfolding the note that had been in with it.

_Ron,_

_ This is amazing, mate! I can't believe you're here. You're in luck, I heard Tonks trip over herself a minute ago, so I know it's her. She's bloody brilliant and all, but she doesn't have Moody's magical eye, so it should be safe for you to come. I'll be in the park on Magnolia Crescent, tap me on the shoulder when you get there and then you can follow me back to the house. See you soon!_

_Harry_

Ron heaved a sigh of relief and started on his walk.

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When they finally made it up the stairs to Harry's room, Ron took off the cloak and collapsed to the bed as Harry braced the door. He was exhausted, even walking briskly it had taken him two and a half hours to make it the ten miles to the play park, and then had come the stress of trying to sneak in past the Order and the Dursleys.

Harry turned back from the door.

"Not that I'm not happy to see you mate, but you know the Dursleys will never let you stay here, right?"

"I brought a tent. We can set it up in here, and then we'll have plenty of room. The kitchen's fully stocked, too."

"Seriously? Like at the World Cup?"  
"Exactly like. Same tent."

"Brilliant." Ron was extremely relieved to see Harry grin. It was something he hadn't seen since before the Department of Mysteries, and he'd begun to worry it was gone for good. He grabbed Harry in a back-pounding hug, then hauled the tent out of his pack.

"Here, help me set it up, will you?"

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They'd made short work of setting the tent up in the corner of Harry's room, and Ron was relieved to see that it just fit. He was glad he'd brought the smaller of the two tents. In his relief at arriving, his hunger had returned, so he gratefully plopped himself down at the tent's kitchen table and wolfed a can of soup. When he looked up, he was surprised to see Harry devouring his own soup equally ravenously. Then again, perhaps he wasn't so surprised. He had long suspected that Harry wasn't fed nearly enough in the summers.

They both collapsed into bed after eating and sending off a quick note to Hermione, telling her that everything was going as planned. This was the one-bedroom tent that the girls had shared at the World Cup, and they were surprised by the fact that it turned out to have just a queen size bed, rather than two twins, but they decided to share it, given how abysmally uncomfortable the mattress was on Harry's bed. The Dursleys never spent a cent on him, after all, and a few years under Dudley's tender mercies had led to a number of springs in uncomfortable places.

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Ron woke in the middle of the night to moaning and thrashing from Harry's side of the bed. He grabbed Harry's shoulder to wake him, but as soon as he touched him Harry bolted upright in bed, gasping. Ron didn't know quite what to do. Being nearly the youngest in his family, no one had ever come to him for their nightmares, and even if they had those nightmares wouldn't have had anything like the severity of Harry's. There was no one else, though, so he pulled Harry into his arms and started rubbing his back.

"Shh. Shh. You're awake now." Ron murmured soothingly into the top of Harry's head as Harry gasped. He could feel Harry still trembling from the adrenaline. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Sirius…falling through the veil…and then you, and Hermione…" Ron could barely understand Harry's mumbling. "Everyone dead…because of me."

"It wasn't your fault. We all came because we wanted to." Ron knew that probably wouldn't help much, but he didn't know what else to say. "And I'm here, and Hermione's just fine. You don't have to worry."

Ron mumbled soothingly into the top of Harry's head until they both drifted back to sleep.

**Sorry for the long wait. I am in desperate need of a beta, largely to keep me on task. If anyone would like to volunteer, send me a message.**


End file.
